I’ve never taken to the kind of riding that comes with a bunch of rules.  I understand the value of dressage, the amazing skill it takes, but it’s never really been for me – memorizing patterns, what happens at K vs. E, etc.  Similarly, the fox hunt -- I just don’t see getting involved in a sport that requires a starched shirt.  I even have some difficulties with trail clubs that tend to restrict folks to the capabilities of the least experienced rider.  I went out with a club a few years back and, when I asked if we would canter, one of the more adventurous members said, “Canter is the C-word in this crowd.”

My dislike of rules has resulted in a great deal of riding solo.  I’m not complaining – I’ve always relished solitude.  And, you’re really not alone when you’re riding. Juneau is one of my best friends

So, when we arrived at the Twisted Moose Lodge in Tamworth, New Hampshire, and the proprietors – Jeff and Catherine – assumed they’d ride out with us, I was a little worried.  Would they have rules?  Was canter the C-word?  Would they insist on always leading requiring that I fight endlessly with Juneau to get him to stay behind?

I needn’t have worried.  Jeff climbed onto a pretty little 6-year-old Quarter Horse mare aptly named Sassy.  She jigged and pranced but he seemed only amused.  Catherine rode an older mare, but one look at the rig they called a bridle told me she had a lot of fire.  We set out and it was immediately clear that Jeff and Catherine took the New Hampshire motto – live free or die – very much to heart.  When Sassy needed to let off steam, Jeff just cantered her ahead.  There was no discussion.  Just off he popped.  If your horse felt compelled to follow, great.  If you didn’t like that idea, that was a conversation you’d need to have with your horse, not Jeff.

Kurt and Jeff soon paired off, a bromance quickly forming between two men who’d not found many male riding companions.  I’ve often observed that men like to lead but seldom know where they’re heading.  The maxim held true.  The gentlemen took the lead but Catherine coached Jeff’s every turn through the labyrinth of trails.   And oh, what glorious trails. I’ll not repeat my litany of praises for the forests of New England, but only say — spruce, hemlock, fern, birch, maple, babbling brook, mossy rocks….

Even Juneau seemed to sense that the absence of rules meant nothing to fight.  He was his calmest, mildest self, happily leading or falling behind.

Every November, Jeff and Catherine winterize the lodge; load up their three horses, two donkeys and two dogs; and head to a home they have in an equestrian community along the Gulf Coast of Florida.  As we were finishing our second day’s ride, I found myself inviting them to spend a few days with us in Maryland as they travelled South.  I’d show them our Maryland trails.

Hearing myself extend the invitation, I was a bit surprised to find a truly meant it.  Perhaps I was fonder of riding with company than I’d thought.  Perhaps the key is finding other who believe – Ride free or die.